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24th Week in Ordinary Time

Date:

Tue, 09/19/2017

Author:

Rev. Msgr. Donald Enzweiler

We are currently undertaking a restoration project here at St. Agnes.
Work will begin in the not too distant future on our stained glass windows.
Like all things, time has taken its toll.
The heat from the sun, the force of the wind, the impact of rain and hail,
below freezing temperatures….these have caused the integrity of the windows to deteriorate.
The leading between the glass pieces has warped, pulled away so that there are now open gaps.
Pieces of glass are broken, and even missing.
The structure supporting the weight of the windows has weakened.
Restoration will return our windows, as closely as possible, to their original state
and possibility even improve their quality
because new materials and improved building techniques are now available.

Now, this restoration project is not being entrusted to the hands of amateurs, unskilled laborers.
We have secured the services of a reputable company with proven results.

The process of restoration is one of returning the windows to their created state of integrity.

Can your faith give an account of itself?
What I’m asking is “are you ready, are you prepared, are you willing to share with others,
not what you believe, but why you believe what you believe?”
Why do you put your hope in salvation?
Why do you believe that the love and truth found in Jesus Christ
are the only forces that will change the human heart for the good?

If we chose not to engage in ongoing reflection so as to see more clearly and understand more deeply
the mystery of our salvation,
we will never experience the Christian integrity of body, mind and spirit.
To be able to quote the bible, to be able to quote the Catholic Catechism, is not faith.
It’s merely the mechanical process of memorization.
Besides, quoting the scriptures, the catechism, is quoting someone else’s faith.
It’s quoting the Church’s faith.
I’m talking about your own personal faith, not that it would be different from the Church’s faith.
But why have you accepted and adopted the Church’s faith as your own?

Think of having all these individual pieces of stained glass, different colors, different sizes and shapes,
sitting collected in a box. They are yours. Imagine them to be your beliefs.
In and of themselves they show little to the world about Jesus Christ.
When put together, faith becomes a window made up of hundreds of pieces of colored glass.
It is not a single piece of glass.
Faith arranges and holds together all the little separate pieces into a bigger whole,
one that gives expression to an understanding of how everything fits together.
What does the world see when it looks at your faith? Do you even care?

Another question: has your faith deteriorated over time? Has it undergone disintegration?
Is it in need of restoration?
Are there open gaps, broken or missing pieces….things that compromise our spiritual integrity?
Has your faith suffered damage because of the deteriorating effects of sin?

Before things fall completely apart, before faith is lost,
and, in order to for the world to see something beautiful when it sees our faith,
we need to undertake the process of restoration. It’s not free and it’s not simple.
Time and resources are required.
Other pursuits will have to be set aside while the project is underway.
And whatever we do, we must not entrust this project to amateurs.

Today’s prayer: “O Lord, through Jesus Christ Your Son, restore Your people to the integrity of sound faith. Free us from the prison of death so that we might embrace fully the freedom of life. Amen!”